Leadership - John Kim

John Kim, CEO, Wasabi Management Co., Inc

John Kim, a former aerospace industry executive, joined Wasabi Management Company as CEO in 2010. John has leveraged his previous industry experienced to successfully transform a “mom-and-pop” operation to a process and growth driven restaurant chain in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Prior to Wasabi Management Company, John served for eight years in a series of senior positions at Sabreliner/Midcoast Aviation, where John was vice president – program management and engineering, vice president – production control, and vice president – strategic sourcing. As Member of Midcoast Senior Management Team, John was jointly accountable for day-to-day operations management of business jet completion center generating annual revenues in excess of $200M.

Prior to joining Midcoast, John was with Fairchild Dornier Corp., where John served as director of the 428Jet program integrated product team and director of supply chain management. Before that, John held a series of positions with McDonnell Douglas, including resident engineering manager for the Pacific Rim and international program manager for the MD-95 Program.

John is skilled in developing competitive strategies with a strong international business experience directing multi-disciplined functions and managing supplier partners to achieve common objectives. With a record of accomplishment outside the comfort zone and a passion for growth, John is capable of applying core leadership competencies to deliver positive business results in more than one industry.

John holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona, a Master of Science in Systems Management from University of Southern California, and an MBA from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.